Israel’s blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip has been a bonanza for Palestine Food Industries Co., the only functioning juice maker in the Gaza Strip, with sales increasing ten-fold as the embargo kept out competition.

Now, as Israel relaxes its restrictions, the company has joined fellow manufacturers including Pepsi-Cola bottlers Yazegi Group in demanding that Hamas protect local industries and refuse imports of juice, soda and snack foods. Officials of the Islamic movement have heeded the calls and are barring entry of such items as Israeli grapefruit juice and potato chips.

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If Hamas allows Israeli juice to enter Gaza, Palestine Food will have to compete with Primor juices made by Gan Shmuel Food Industries Ltd., based on the Gan Shmuel kibbutz south of Haifa, and the Tapuzina-brand produced by closely held Jafora Tabori Ltd., based in Rehovot, near Tel Aviv.

Gaza City-based Yazegi Group’s Pepsi factory published newspaper ads calling on Hamas not to allow rival soft drinks into Gaza, according to its director Rajab al-Ghazali. Al-Awda Factories Co., which makes cookies and ice cream and is located in Gaza City, has also sought Hamas protection from Israeli imports, said Manal Hassan, its executive director.

19 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I don't get it. The blockade is fully lifted, they've built a luxurious mall, their supermarkets are full, their goods cost less, and they are complaining they don't have raw materials to make war on their neighbors.That just says it all.

@leahgg: don't worry, it's comin'. and can you imagine how fast the taliban in afghanistan would collapse if opium were legalized? the tunnels in gaza are "illegal" in the same way as the poppy fields in afghanistan are "illegal"- which is to say, they're the basis of the economy and the only people who consider them illegal are people who don't live there.

same thing with israeli settlements, btw. they're not the basis of the israeli economy but a good case could be made that they're the basis of the "west bank" economy and if, chas v'shalom they are evacuated a helluva lot of "palestinians" will be going hungry. and again, the only people who consider them illegal are people who don't live there- except for a few vocal local ;) arabs who are paid to say so. even for them, "it's all biznez".

I love it! The West is just a pack of useful idiots, every last one of them. Remember, they're starving to death as they walk the mall. It's their only source of air conditioning. That's how bad things are. Also, the Israelis are just trying to point the Gazans with their juice, so it's a good thing that they're banning it.-OC

Seriously though, the only disadvantage to Israel with the large influx of Israeli goods to Gaza is that with the profits that Israeli companies make of them the executives of those companies will not want to let the government do things to stop the missiles and mortars that are launched from Gaza.

For instance, when missiles fly from the Gaza Strip, Israel could turn off the electricity to the Strip since Gaza is wholly dependent on Israel for electricity. Israel could shut off their water since the Gazans over-pumped the Gaza Aquifer and seawater has entered it making it brackish. Israel COULD throttle the Gaza strip every time a missile would be launched and Sederot would sleep securely. But there are two things that stop her:

1) Israelis, the government and the people, all crave the good wishes of international opinion and since the very people of the nations want to see Israel weakened and compromised so that the Arabs can hurt her are, oddly enough, the very ones that Israel wants to buy their affection. Thus, because Israel craves the good wishes of hostile nations she allows her people to be be abused and even murdered by the Arabs.

2.) Israeli businesses make a lot of money by selling to the Gaza Strip. A portion of the billions of $$ that the international community throws at Gaza is being lapped up by our companies. The Israeli company that sells petroleum products to Gaza makes money hand over fist. Now other Israeli companies are beginning to sell household goods to Gaza. Now i don't blame them 'cuz that's the way capitalism works. Yet their executives will and pressure the government not to do anything to harm the Gaza economy, and allow the free flow of goods. The problem is that it's an immoral travesty for business people to pressure the Israeli government NOT to take harsh measures to stop the terrorizing of Sederot. For the sake of business, they will dissuade the Israeli government NOT to take harsh measures to return Gilad Shalit, because they wanna continue make bucks without interruption.

So how do I know this is happening? First of all, it stands to reason in that just the CEO of the petroleum company could order, all by himself, the sesation of petroleum products to Gaza everytime a missile is fired at us. Why doens't he do it? Because he cares more about his company's money than the welfare of Sederot. Simialarly, why doesn't the CEO of the Israel Electric Company order the switches turned off to the Gaza Strip? Because he cares more about making money for the comany than the welfare of Jews in Sederot. Why don't both of them say that no more power or petroleum products to Gaza until Gilad Shalit is returned safe and sound? Believe me, 5 days without power and petrol they'll determine that we're serious and then they'll hand over Gilad willingly. Ten more days without power or petrol Hamas will surrender unconditionally. But we want to make money and we suffer under the illusion that we can gain the good graces of those nations that want to see us harmed by terrorists.

Secondly, see http://www.israelbehindthenews.com/Journalist David Bedein has been announcing that Israeli companies have it in their business interest for Israel NOT to disturb the daily life of the Strip in order to keep business flowing.

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